Goal: To fully investigate the negligence of the school and police and bring justice to the victim.

In May of 2012, a 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by three of her fellow students at Martin De Porres Academy, a school for young people with special needs and juvenile delinquents in Elmont, New York. Despite the clear evidence of sexual assault, the police dropped the case claiming that the encounter was “more of a consensual situation” due to the low IQs of the girl and her attackers. The school administration has also effectively ignored the assault and asked the police to drop the case weeks after the report was filed. To make matters worse, a teacher was present during the assault, and the only action the school has taken was to fire the individual. The negligence of the school and police is outrageous and completely unacceptable.

According to an article from the New York Daily News, the girl was attacked during science class when two boys forced her to perform oral sex and attempted to anally sodomize her while a third boy repeatedly banged her head against a desk, as she shouted “no” and “stop.” Her mother reported the assault to the police after seeing blood on her daughter’s underwear and receiving a call from the school’s social worker. The girl deserves justice for the violence committed against her, but the police basically brushed off the accusations while the school attempted to sweep it under the rug seemingly because the girl and her attackers are mentally challenged. Not only are the inactions of the school and police morally and ethically wrong, but New York law specifies that the mentally disabled are unable to provide consent, which makes it a felony crime to have sex with an individual who is mentally disabled.

Women and girls with mental disabilities are often seen as “easy targets” for sexual assault, especially because their attackers typically go unpunished. One study estimates that 80 percent of mentally disabled women will experience rape or sexual assault in their lives. We cannot live in a world that allows these atrocities to occur and then chooses to ignore them. Sign the petition below to demand that the Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice and Police Chief Steven Skrynecki bring justice to the victim and penalize the disgusting inaction of the school administration and detectives.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Ms. Kathleen Rice and Chief Steven Skrynecki,

In May of last year, a young girl at the Martin De Porres Academy in Elmont was brutally sexually assaulted by three of her fellow students. Despite clear evidence of the assault, not a single thing has been done to help the victim or to ensure a similarly horrific event does not happen again.

Why was nothing done by police or school administrators? The answer apparently lies in the fact that the girl is mentally challenged with an IQ of less than 60. New York law specifies that the mentally disabled are unable to provide consent, which makes it a felony crime to have sex with an individual who is mentally disabled. Ludicrously, the Nassau County Police Department spokeswoman Jean DeLuca claimed that the assault was “more of a consensual situation with their mental capabilities.” Ms. DeLuca said this despite the fact that two attackers forced the girl to perform oral sex and attempted to anally sodomize her while a third repeatedly banged her head against a desk as she cried “no” and “stop.” In no way can this attack be considered a “consensual situation.” “No” means no, regardless of one’s mental capabilities.

The negligence of the police and school is an utter travesty. Mentally disabled women and girls are sexually assaulted and raped at disgustingly high rates because they are perceived as easy targets, and their attackers are rarely punished. We cannot live in a world that allows these atrocities to occur and then chooses to ignore them. We demand that the attackers be punished for their actions, that the school undergo an investigation for the safety of students, the teacher(s) present during the attack be penalized, and the detectives who pushed aside the report be reprimanded.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: glendali via stock.xchng

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